Take My Hand
by PinkFan-Gurl
Summary: GreekAu. Lucy has come of age to be married but has her heart set on a mysterious son of Hephaestus. Erza was raised as a slave for as long as she can remember until a handsome soldier liberates her and Gray has a hard time struggling with his curse as the son of a goddess as well as his feelings for a certain girl. Nalu, Jerza, Gruvia.
1. Nalu

Lucy wasn't sure how she managed to get herself caught up in such crazy antics all of the time.

As the daughter of the goddess Athena and a king, it was sort of expected that she would be the cause of much mischief—after all, demigods were notorious for wreaking havoc—but Lucy was much more of the gentler soul. At least, that's what her father tried to convince her of.

Considering her mother was the immortal deity of wisdom and strategy, Lucy grew up without her mother around, but that didn't stop the stories her father told her. Jude had met her under the alias of Layla, a beautiful seamstress who had been commissioned to develop a new robe for a party he would be hosting. It wasn't long before the two fell in love and Lucy was born.

Athena was forced to leave shortly following Lucy's birth, but the young girl often fantasized about her mother. As she grew, she was often told by her father and servants alike that she was the spitting image of Layla herself.

She supposed that it was only a matter of time before the mischievous side of her personality showed itself, much to her father's dismay. Apparently he wanted her to remain the prim and proper princess of Crete that he needed her to be, but that changed the moment he began having suitors, whom were also well-off demigods, court her.

Gray Fullbuster, son of snow goddess Khione, was a bad match from the beginning considering they were best friends from childhood. Jude thought twice on the matter when at the age of twelve the two managed to turn the first two floors of the castle into an ice rink.

Laxus Dreyar, son of Zeus, wasn't much better. He was too serious and had a bit of an anger problem. One small comment on Lucy's part and suddenly lighting had destroyed an entire corner of the market.

Loke, son of Aphrodite, was much too pushy for Lucy's taste, but he had been fun to walk around town with if only to see how much they could get away with using his charm speak powers.

But this had to take the cake for the biggest screw-ups Lucy had ever been involved in. She had been casually picking out some apples from a market pin-up (even though she wasn't supposed to) when a sudden cacophony from behind her caught her off guard and then suddenly someone was crashing into her head on.

"Ow." Lucy rubbed her forehead slowly, her eyes focusing in on the boy in front of her. Somewhere behind them, she heard an angry masculine voice yell, _he went this way!_ and the crowd began to clear down the middle for who she guessed was the owner of the voice.

She barely had enough time to get a good look at the jerk who knocked her over, let alone process the situation, before he was frantically on his feet again with a palm extended out to her. "Come on!" he yelled impatiently.

Lucy was ready to scoff in his face. Like she was going to go with him?

But the urgency of his green eyes and small grin that was forming almost put her in a trance. **Hesitantly she reached up to grab his hand** , but he closed the gap faster than Lucy could have anticipated and nearly got whiplash from how fast he pulled her down the cobblestone street.

They bobbed and weaved through the market traffic for several minutes until the boy pulled her off the main road between a pair of buildings. Even though Lucy considered herself to be in pretty decent shape, the extended amount of running left her so winded to the point that she didn't even care that she was with some stranger somewhere secluded. She was just happy to catch her breath.

"Awh, yeah," the boy laughed. He pressed his back to the wal and slid down until he was on the ground. His face was red, but whether it was from running or laughing, Lucy couldn't tell. He was barely winded meaning he was probably pretty active...active at dodging the authorities at least.

"Did you," Lucy panted, placing a hand on her rapidly beating heart, "did you want to maybe elaborate on what you just dragged me into back there?"

The boy grinned up at her, finally giving her a good look at him for the first time; he had unruly pink hair and intense green eyes. He wore a simple, worn out black robe and sandals, confirming her suspicions that he was what those in the castle would call a _plebeian_.

"Ah, just some guards were picking on my cousin Wendy and her friends so," he grinned devilishly, "I may have set their clothes on fire."

Lucy stopped breathing, keeping her eyes lowered to the ground. She wished she hadn't been so impulsive and followed him somewhere witnesses were scarce. She needed to get out now! _Come on, Athena, give me a way to escape…._

"Aren't you going to ask me how I did it?"

The softness of his voice made Lucy halt in her thoughts, automatically looking up at him. Despite the kindness of his tone, he had the most smug look that she wanted to slap right off of his face. "What are you talking about?"

"How I set those bastards on fire?" He raised an eyebrow. "Most people are more interested when I share little tidbits like that."

Lucy rolled her eyes. Suddenly, this guy didn't seem as off-putting as before. Trouble for sure, but he somehow made her feel comfortable as if she were with Gray. "Someone sure sounds egotistical. Fine. Tell me how you did it."

The boy held up his index finger and a flame spontaneously blossomed. Lucy had seen several demigods in her nineteen years, but this was the first time she had met one that had powers over fire. "Are you a son-?"

"The name's Natsu Dragneel," he said, his whole hand erupting into flames, "and I'm the son of Igneel."

Lucy felt her impressed grin fade instantly. "Igneel? Don't you mean _Hephaestus_?"

Natsu shrugged, waving his hand back and forth in disinterest. His hand was no longer smoldering. "Yeah, yeah. Igneel is just who he appeared to my momma as. He stayed with us up until I was about eight and then he just disappeared."

Lucy nodded glumly. Just as most demigods were, she also was familiar with the absence of a parent. "The gods are busy."

"Yeah, but one day I'm going to become a great hero worthy of Zeus, and then I'm going to go to Olympus to find Igneel and show him how strong I've become."

"At least you got to know your father," Lucy grumbled quietly, her tone coming off as a bit jealous. "My mother left before right after I was born."

"You're a demigod?" Natsu perked up slightly.

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, tell him he's an idiot if he couldn't even recognize the princess of his own country, but he narrowed his eyes and leaned close to her face. Lucy felt her breath hitch—he was so close! She was almost convinced that their noses were going to brush when all of a sudden he leaned back with a wide grin. "Daughter of Athena?" he asked smugly, coming across as more of a statement than a question.

Lucy stuttered, trying to recollect her thoughts after having her space being so rudely invaded. Her face was probably pinker than his hair, and that made her even more embarrassed, especially since she was mostly accustomed to people in her castle keeping at a distance. "H-how would you k-know?" she snapped.

Natsu shrugged as if he hadn't just been within kissing distance of Lucy's face. "You have the same brown eyes as my cousin, Wendy. She's a daughter of Athena. Also the same eyes as a buddy of mine—Levy—also a daughter of Athena."

Lucy willed herself to not be embarrassed again, but it was kind of hard when she had challenged him so harshly only for him to provide a quality reason for how he could determine her parentage. "Oh."

Natsu smiled softly. Lucy shifted her eyes to the ground to keep her composure, but she nearly jumped out of her skin when Natsu rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Ah, relax ya weirdo," he said good naturedly. "I never got your name though, daughter of Athena."

Lucy laughed. "I'm Lucy."

"It's good to meet ya. Well, I guess it's time for me to bounce. Can you get home from here?"

Lucy peeked her head out from around the corner of the brick building they were hiding behind. She recognized the Temple to Artemis up the road, a landmark that meant she was closer to the palace than when she was in the market. "Yeah, I know the way from here," she said, retreating back into the niche.

Using a window sill as a step stone, Natsu took a running start and then leaped onto the roof of one of the shack buildings. His head appeared over the side, showing off the big smile that Lucy had quickly grown used to. "I'll see you around then, Luigi!"

"It's Lucy!" she yelled back. He giggled, then he was gone, jumping over rooftops she assumed.

Straightening out her dress, Lucy tried her best to brush the dirt and mud off of the white fabric as she hurried down the street toward the palace. She wasn't sure why, but she was really sad to see Natsu go. Initially he had reminded her of Gray, but after talking to him she could tell that he was different.

Secretly, she hoped that he was right and that they would run into each other again. Surely he gets into trouble regularly and it won't be hard to pinpoint his location if the army is after him most of the time. Satisfied with her plan, Lucy allowed herself to to calm down. In fact, perhaps she would go out to the market to see him tomorrow!

But she didn't see him the next day, nor the following week. By the time three months rolled around, Lucy had lost hope that she would ever see the son of Hephaestus again.

…

"Are you coming downstairs or what?"

Lucy rolled over onto her side, purposefully ignoring Gray. "I don't want to."

"You know you have to, so you might as well not try to fight it." Even without seeing him, Lucy could tell that her friend had an exasperated frown. "If you were really adamant about not having to attend this tournament, then you would have married me when you had the chance."

Lucy shot up in bed, ready to chew her friend out for all the reasons he would have made an awful husband when she saw the smug look on his face. "You did that on purpose!"

Gray's grin widened. "It got you up didn't it? In fact, I'm even a little hurt by the fact that you think I would make such a terrible husband."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You and I both know that you're not built for family life." She purposefully left out Juvia to refrain from his outbursts of denial.

Gray shrugged. "True." He turned to the elegant white dress and laurels laid out on the sofa. "So are you coming down or do I have to carry you down there?"

Groaning, Lucy flopped down into her feather pillows. Her heart felt like a stone was setting on it. "Fine, I'll come down. Since you won't leave me alone."

"Good," Gray waved his hand airily as he headed towards the door, "I was afraid that I'd have to get Erza."

"DON'T GET ERZA." Lucy's eyes bulged, pleading with the back of his head like her life depended on it. And, in a way, it kind of did. If Erza found out she was going to miss the tournament, then there would be hell to pay. "I'm coming!"

Gray closed the door on his way out, still smiling evilly. Sometimes Lucy really hated that guy.

It didn't take too long for Lucy to get ready; she took a bath, put on her dress, and then set the laurels on her carefully braided hair. She couldn't help the funny feeling that churned her stomach as she stared at her reflection. By the end of today, she would be the wife of whoever won the tournament.

No longer would she get to go on errands with Gray, braid Erza's hair, gossip with Mirajane on the castle grounds… or aimlessly walk the market in hopes of running into Natsu again.

In less than a week, she was going to be whisked away from her friends, family—her _home_ —and marched to someone else's castle and be expected to play the housewife.

For the first time in a while, Lucy wished that she had been born a Spartan. They may be way more brutal than the intelligent, art-loving Athenians, but at least they were free.

Coming to terms with her fate, Lucy met with her father in the halls that led to their specially crafted thrones that overlooked the arena and the tournament. Gray met them down there, offering his arm to escort her. "Nervous?" he asked when she had looped her arm with his.

"W-what?" Lucy tried to stay calm, but even she knew she wasn't convincing.

"You're shaking." Gray patted her hand, and Lucy felt her heartbeat slow a tad. "Don't worry. I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, okay? That's what friends are for. Besides, I think you'll be satisfied with the participants." He smirked.

Lucy raised her eyebrows, mildly curious now. He had the smirk that he always got right before he did something stupid, like freeze over the floor in the dining hall when dinner is served. "What do you mean?"

Gray shrugged, touching his finger to the tip of her laurels, giving the gold leaves a dusting of crystallized snow. "Guess you'll have to see." He stuck his tongue out at her childishly, running ahead of her.

"Gray Fullbuster, you better get back here!" Lucy gathered up her dress and chased after him, knowing damn well that she looked like an idiot to anyone who could have seen her.

Upon entering the arena, Lucy felt her tummy twist again. There had a to be a million people gathered around the arena, sitting in the stone bleachers. Lucy and her father, along with Gray, Erza, and Mirajane had front row seats on a special platform that was elevated and shaded.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Lucy murmured. She could barely hear herself think over all of the screaming. She noticed that a few people, who she assumed were tournament contestants, were sparring separately on the dirt field.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump. "Fine day for a tournament," Erza grinned, taking a loving breath. Lucy couldn't understand why. It smelled like sweat and animal manure and it was hellishly hot out.

Lucy flopped down in her chair, fanning herself. Jude set himself down in his own throne as well. Gray rubbed his nose subtly and the columns and the ceiling iced over, effectively lowering the temperature to where Lucy could function again.

A big guy who looked kinda like Mira bounded out onto the field, yelled something about how _today boys will become MEN! YEAH! SO MANLY,_ and then announced that tournament was beginning. The crowd cheered. Mira tittered into her palm. Erza nodded, her grin betraying her normal stoicness. Gray was busy staring at Juvia who was sitting in the bleachers not too far away.

Lucy slumped in her seat. Looks like it was too late to turn back now.

An onslaught of young men advanced each other. She found it odd that none of them bore weapons until one of them blasted a brilliant spear of light from his palm. Lucy instantly recognized the intense blond as Sting Eucliffe, son of Aether, god of light.

So, they were all demigods. That would at least make things a little more interesting.

Loke dodged a direct attack from Hibiki, son of Eros, god of desire only for Dionysus' son, Bacchus to trap both of them in a wreath of grape vines. Cobra, son of the goddess of poison, engulfed Zancrow, son of the god of death, in a mist of toxic poison that could kill a mortal in one inhale.

Dan, son of the rainbow goddess, smiled as he shoved the newly free Loke away. "Oh Lucy-kins! Did you see me! I can't wait for our—" he was cut off as Max, son of the goddess Demeter, sent him sprawling against the ground from a dust storm attack.

Lucy sighed, resting her chin on her palm. Most of these guys didn't even want to marry her and were being forced into it like she was. She could tell that nearly everyone on battlefield were merely putting on a show for the spectators and not fighting seriously, except for that of Loke and Dan.

Lucy _reaaaaaally_ hoped Dan wouldn't win…

Gray came up beside Lucy, kneeling beside her throne with his arm propped up on the arm of the chair. "What's he doin' over there?" he growled.

Lucy followed his gaze to a boy wearing a dark cloak leaning up against the wall of the arena. He looked...well, bored. It was kind of amusing, but apparently Gray didn't think so. He stormed down the steps of the platform so that he was in shouting distance of the boy. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled, "Hey Flame-for-Brains? What kind of pathetic shit are you pulling right now?"

Lucy held off a laugh. The boy snapped back, "You know I'm always down for a good fight, Snowflake, but I don't want to win in a tournament that's going to make me get _married!_ "

Yep, she had been right. They weren't fighting legitimately because they were being forced into it. This kid even _refused_ to fight! Luy expected Gray to drop the subject, but he just kept egging the boy on. "Don't give me that bullcrap. You can't help yourself from fighting. It's like you're addicted to it, ya Pyro. The only reason you don't want to fight is because you know these guys are a league above you."

The son of Khione grinned devilishly when the cloak on the boy in the arena began to smolder and smoke. Wait...smoke? Fire demigod? Lucy only knew one guy…

Suddenly, the cloak combusted into flames and disintegrated into ash, leaving behind a pink-haired boy. He was dressed differently than she remembered—he sported traditional Greek army-wear opposed to his shabby rags. "No way," she breathed.

The boy she had been secretly developed a little crush on all those months ago...was in a battle fOR HER HAND IN MARRIAGE?

Natsu seethed up at Gray, the tips of his hair glowing with red flame. "I'm not afraid! You know damn well I could wipe the floor with them!"

Gray leaned his elbows on the concrete wall, casting a condescending sneer. "Prove it, Fire Princess."

"I will you blundering Snow Fairy!" Natsu roared, flames bursting from his body and creating a heat so massive, it melted the ice that Gray had covered the columns with. All of the other contestants regarded Natsu with intrigued gazes.

"Finally," Sting enthused, "things are going to get interesting!"

Lucy blinked, barely believing what just happened. All of a sudden, the random guy she hadn't noticed turned out to be Natsu? And then he joins the fight and then suddenly everyone was giving their all? She wasn't sure if she should be impressed that the fire demigod demanded so much respect from the others or if she should be offended that when they were fighting for her they had been going less than half of the power.

"Quite impressive," Jude mumbled, inclining his head forward.

Lucy wanted scream. Is this what Gray had alluded to earlier?

Scooping up the tail of her little dress, she hurried down the stairs to where Gray still leaned up against the railing, watching Natsu blast flames at other competitors. She hit him on the arm, but he barely looked at her. "H-how? What? I don't-?"

"Please," Gray rolled his eyes, "I knew it was Natsu you had run into all those days ago. He wouldn't shut up about you. And then I saw how mopey you were when you stared out the window. He doesn't know you're the princess here because he's a dumbass. He only joined the contest because his brother made him. That's why he hasn't been around—he's been training."

Lucy felt like she could faint. "And you didn't tell him because?"

"Because it will be hilarious when he sees you."

Lucy socked him in the shoulder again, only to receive a disapproving look from both Erza and her father. "Who's his brother?"

"Zeref."

Yep, definitely going to faint. "Prince Zeref of Alvarez? Commander of the Nine Demons and the Spriggan Twelve?"

"That's him."

"Natsu is his brother?"

"That's what I just said, yes."

"They look nothing alike!"

Gray laughed. "That's what you're worried about?"

Something smashed into the wall below them. Lucy gasped as Natsu shook rubble from his hair. "Oh my gods, Natsu, are you alright?" she screamed.

Natsu ruffled his hair. "Yeah, I'm fin—no way, Lucy?" The pink haired son of Hephaestus broke out in a grin. "What're you doing here?"

"What am I?" she repeated exasperated. "I'm the freaking princess of Crete Natsu!"

Natsu's face blanked and then took on one of utmost surprise. "You, a princess? Really?" Lucy gave him a hard look. "Guess there's only one thing to do then," he said cheerfully before his face contorted into one of determination. "Win."

Lucy blushed a deep crimson as Natsu charged back out into the center of the arena, fire shooting off of him like a firework as he fought. Gray leaned his elbow on her shoulder. "Want me to cool you down? That blush might set your ears on fire."

"S-shut up!" She stammered, of course only making her blush harder and Gray laughed harder.

When the dust cleared, Natsu was victorious but that was to be expected. Her father made a big speech about how bravely everyone fought and how he respected them all for wanting to wed his daughter. Lucy had laughed at that since she was pretty sure that the only ones that had actually cared were Dan and Loke who had slunk off with Bacchus to a bar.

Jude finished his speech by inviting Natsu to dinner and then left with a swish of his cape. Mira and Erza followed behind him. Gray had ducked out early when he caught his brother approach Juvie for the unkept time.

Slowly, the arena began to empty. Lucy knew she should retreat to her room to prepare for dinner, but she couldn't remove herself from the concrete railing of the arena. Natsu leaned up against the side of the arena, smiling up at her. She knew he was waiting, just as she was, for the noise level to die down enough to have a conversation.

When it finally did Lucy blurt out the question that had been nagging at her. "Why me?"

Natsu blinked. "Uh, what?"

"Why'd you choose me? You had no interest in that fight until you realized I was the princess you were fighting for. We've only met once before! Why me?" she pleaded softly, resting her head in her crossed arms.

"Aw, Lucy," Natsu smiled. "I did it because you're a nice person. And we _had_ just only met once—did you really think that I was going to let some other guy take ya when I was just getting to know ya?"

Lucy laughed, a lump forming in her throat. "Yeah." Her eyes focused in on a group of people who had yet to clear from the arena, but didn't look like they planned on it any time soon. "Um, we have an audience."

Natsu turned, his smiled softening. "That's the other thing," he nodded towards the group of people, "I'm going to be a part of your family now, but I'd also like for you to be a part of mine."

Lucy looked on at the unfamiliar faces of a short elderly man with a mustache, a pretty tall brunette with a pint in her hand, a pair of short girls with blue hair and a scary raven haired boy who stood behind them. And among them were familiar faces; Gray, Juvia, Erza, Jellal, and Mira all smiled back at her.

Tears brimmed in Lucy's eyes. Natsu smiled, reaching his hand up to her. "Whaddya say, Daughter of Athena?" His eyes sparkled. "Ready to go on an adventure?"

 **Lucy took his hand.**

 _12/2/16_


	2. Jerza

Though she had been captured when she was only six, there were only seven tally marks on the wall. She hadn't started keeping count of how much time had passed until she was ten.

This would be her twelfth year as a slave, though it felt much longer. Her parents were long dead along with the small farm village she used to call home. Days blurred together until all she had was the pain and fear that let her know she was still alive and breathing.

Stop it, Erza scolded herself. She hadn't even noticed the tears that built up in her eyes until they rolled down her cheek.

She'd been able to go years without crying so she wasn't going to start feeling sorry for herself now. All she had to do was find the right opportunity and then she could escape.

"Erza?" A timid voice asked. A tuft of blond hair peaked its way around the corner. "Are you feeling better?" Sho asked, letting himself down the stairs.

Sho wasn't much younger than Erza was, but he looked younger than thirteen. His blonde hair was soft and messy, giving his youthful face an endearing innocence that only enhanced the fear that had taken root in his eyes. Like Erza, he had thick gold bracelets on either wrist-the mark of bought slave.

Erza gritted her teeth, using a knife to cut off the remaining fabric that she had used to wrap her latest punishment. Apparently she had made eye contact where it wasn't desired and her masters had decided that her right eye was going to pay for her mishap. It burned and ached tremendously, but Erza forced herself to smile through it.

"It'll be okay," she assured him, but Sho regarded her with tears in his eyes. "Don't cry for me, Sho. There'll be enough of that later."

He tried to stop his sniffles with his palm but, his tears began to soak into the collar of his rag-like toga. Without a second thought, Erza pulled him into her chest, caressing his head gently the same way she had for the last four years.

"We were all so worried," he wept into her dress. "Milliana spoke up and was going to be punished but Simon stepped in for her! I couldn't watch him take another lashing so I came to find you!" Sho balled up Erza's shirt into his fists. "D-does that make me weak?"

"No, of course not," Erza murmured into his hair. "It isn't a weakness to not want to watch a friend suffer."

She didn't mention how she was the weakest of them all. Eleven years she'd been trying to get away from her captors with not so much as a whisper of a way to get out. Ugh. Erza really hated these rich Spartans.

It wasn't much later when Simon appeared in the slaves' quarters while Sho was called back to tend to the house. At twenty, Simon was built like an ox in spite of his tendency to stick with house work. If it wasn't for his status as a slave, Erza was pretty sure the mistress of the house would have chosen him to wed over her current husband.

Despite the friendly, calm exterior he had on the outside most of the time, his back told another story; there had to be over a hundred scars from past whippings-the Spartans were not a people to tolerate insubordination. But to Erza, Simon's scars were proof that he hadn't been broken, that he was still in charge of his life and what he did with it.

Just like Erza, Simon was going to be free one day.

Except today was not that day. "Oh my gods." Erza limped over to the water bowl in the farthest corner of the drab room. "Sit down right now," she demanded.

Simon chuckled, pain clearly shooting up through his face even though he tried to hide it. "I'm fine. How's your eye?"

"Nevermind you that." She wrung water out of the excess bandage that she had used to treat her eye. It was rare to have a fresh, clean bandage. "Now sit."

This time, Simon complied and eased himself onto Miliana's cot. "I'm fine, Erza."

Erza sat beside him, immediately setting to work in cleaning his wounds. His body tensed and twitched from the pain, but he never voiced any complaint. "I swear, Erza, I'm fine. Let me help you with your-"

"I already told you I took care of it, alright? Stop fighting me on this." She soaked the bandage again before moving onto a new portion of tender skin. "I wonder what has milord and milady in such a poor mood. They've been cracking down harder than they used to."

"War," Simon murmured barely audible.

"What?"

"Our little kitten and Wally overheard countrymen speaking of the Athenians wanting to go to war with Sparta. I guess some soldiers have been discussing it as well."

Erza's nose wrinkled. "And that's a problem? I thought the Spartans loved war. Isn't Ares their patron god?"

"Well, yeah." Simon started shaking intensely, making Erza worry until she realized he was laughing. "But the Athenians are tough in their own right. Athena, goddess of battle strategy, is their patron. And let's be real, their battle tactics will out maneauver the Spartan's aimless energy spikes no problem."

Erza shrugged, setting her rag down. "I don't care. Let the Athenians come. It's not like I have some sort of debt to the Spartans."

Simon turned toward her, his face grave. "Though I wholeheartedly agree, don't let those words get back to milord. He'll do worse things than ashes thrown in your face."

"I'm aware," Erza scowled.

But it wasn't like it was her fault. Brutal beatings and ill nourishment was a sure way to earn the hatred of your slaves, something her masters had down to perfection. And even if she was physically complacent didn't mean she was going to internally take it. Unbeknownst to the lord, Erza had taken up the practice of sword play and had gotten pretty efficient with a blade.

When circumstances allowed it, she planned on making a break for it and taking her friends with her.

...

A week later the rumors of war had died and new ones sprung up.

Apparently, a deal had been struck between the kings of Sparta and Athens; the top Athenian general was to be invited into the home of the king and shown the kingdom.

Originally, Erza hadn't expected this news to affect her. After all, she didn't work for the king, but instead just a rich landlord. Unfortunately, every noble in Sparta was looking to meet with the young general to exchange battle and war tactics.

Erza only scoffed at this since, as originally from near Athens herself, she knew the Athenians were far to smart than to betray their war secrets. The Spartans were only setting themselves up for humiliation.

Erza didn't care. All she knew was that she had to double her efforts for this stupid general's arrival and she wasn't very pleased about it. The lady of the house decided she wanted all of her clothes and bed sheets washed before he came the following day and Erza had gotten pinned with the laundry, her least favorite chore.

She was on her knees in the shallows of the river, scrubbing mercilessly at a dress, when a shadow loomed over her. Grunting, Erza dropped her arms into the water in annoyance. It was probably one of the higher up slaves like Brain coming to tell her that she wasn't doing her job fast enough, but when she turned around she was faced with the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in her life.

Erza had always considered Simon as attractive, but he was nothing compared to the blue haired man before him. His dark eyes were gentle and intricate tattoo marks were imprinted above and below his right eye. He was dressed in a blue cloak that complimented his hair and...was that Athenian battle armor?

There was no way this was the Athenian general was it? He was a day early! The mistress would be wroth that Erza hadn't finished the laundry despite that it wasn't her fault that he was early. _Oh yeah, a higher up was looking at her._

Erza lowered her face to the ground in a bow. "My lord," she whispered as politely as possible, "forgive my gawking."

Most of the Spartan generals were jackasses that never missed a chance to cop a feel or kick her down, so she was kind of in shock when the blue-haired Athenian crouched down beside her. "There's no need for that," he said, kneeling. "I'm not your master nor a countrymen so there is no need to treat me as such. I am your equal."

Hesitantly, Erza picked her head up. He reached for her hand, beckoning her to stand up. "There's no way you're a general," she blurted before she could stop herself. "You're too nice."

He smiled from the corner of his mouth but his eyes lit up like fireflies. "I'm Jellal Fernandes, first General of the Athenian army. What's your name?"

Erza stopped, taken back again by how friendly an officer of the military was being to a slave. Most people could barely hold this long of a conversation with her with the exception of other slaves. "I'm Erza."

He cocked his head to the side. "No last name?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Everybody has a last name." Jellal pouted slightly, as if he were a child that didn't get his way.

Erza fought off a small smile. Instead she crossed her arms and assumed a playful look of defiance. "Well, I don't. Erza is all I've got."

Jellal pursed his lips in consideration. "What about Scarlet?"

"What?"

" _Erza Scarlet_ has a nice ring to it. And if I ever forget, I'll just look at your pretty hair."

For the first time in a while, Erza blushed. It had happened before, but mostly due to humiliation inflicted by her masters. Never had she blushed because she felt...happy. She certainly had never had butterflies in her stomach until now. Who was this man and why did he make her feel funny inside?

He watched her expectantly, and only then did Erza realize he was waiting for her opinion-again, another thing she wasn't used to. "I love it," she ran her fingers through the tangled red mass, "it fits me perfectly."

Jellal's smile dropped when he noticed the laundry basket on the river bank. "I'm sorry for cutting in on your work. I'll leave you to your duties for now, but I hope to see you again Miss Scarlet." He kissed the top of her hand, bowed, and then walked up the hill from the river to the main road.

Erza stared at her hand, heart still pounding rapidly. She wasn't sure what this feeling was, but it was addicting. And she was afraid she'd never get a dose of it again.

...

"You seem to be in a good mood, Erzy," Milliana sang.

Erza hesitated for a moment before she returned to her floor scrubbing. She hated to admit it, but she had been looking forward to the general's visit ever since their conversation down by the river. Some naiads had overheard their words and gossiped with Erza along the river bank, only intensifying the funny feeling in her chest, especially since naiads tended to be hopeless romantics when not trying to drown people.

The funny feeling was even enough to distract from the unpleasantness of laundry, a true blessing of the gods.

But now if Milliana was catching on to her behavior, then the others certainly would as well. "I'm not in a good mood," Erza muttered as dejected as she could.

"You have to be," Milliana sat back on her heels, her baby face utterly adorable. "You've been humming ever since yesterday. And you didn't even get mad when the lord hit you."

Erza touched the skin around her eye. The flesh was already swelling and she expected that it was purple. "I'm used to it."

Leaning back, the redhead admired the marble floor. It was probably the most effort she had ever put into cleaning the floor and the shine certainly showed it. "Okay, Milliana, we might as well go change now."

Milliana dropped her rag into the pail of water and then arched her back in a stretch. "Me-owy. Sitting like that for so long does a number on your back, doesn't it, Erzy?"

Erza stood, taking Milliana's bucket from her in one hand and carried her own in the other. "It sure does. Now run along, Milliana. You don't want to give up the catering chore because you weren't ready."

Milliana nodded quickly, pushing her pigtails behind her ears. "Good call, Erzy! I'll see you in a bit!"

Milliana hurried out of the room towards the slaves' chamber, making sure to keep her head down. Erza walked in the opposite direction to dump the cleaning water in the garden.

When she got back to the room that she shared with the others, no one was inside. Quickly Erza changed from her ugly gray tunic into a slightly less beat up red tunic that Simon had somehow managed to swipe for her.

"My, don't you look ravishing, Erza." The man's voice made her blood boil.

"I'm on my way, Brain." She shot the slave overseer the dirtiest look she could muster.

Brain grinned sadistically, his tattooed face rippling. "If you're not out there by the time the general shows up, you know the drill—Sho gets ten lashings."

Erza turned on her heel and marched right past him out the door, resisting the intense urge to stomp on his toes. Even though he was a slave himself, Erza hated him because he had the job of overseeing everyone else and tended to misuse that power. Even his own son, who had begun taking on the alias Midnight, resented his father's abusive actions...

Sometimes when she got angry like this, weird things would happen; fires would intensify, metal would rattle uncontrollably, and animals would run in fear of her. She assumed she was nearing this magnitude of rage when she bumped into _him_ and the anger switched out for awe.

"I hoped to see you again, Erza." Jellal smiled down at her, his hands perched on her waist from when she walked straight into him.

Erza's eyes widened, a blush powdering her cheeks. His armor was cool against her skin in comparison to his warm cloak that fell against her hands. "I-I-I'm so sorry. I wasn't lookin—"

He tilted his head, the soft grin still present. He looked even better than yesterday if that was possible. "Don't worry about it." Suddenly, his smile dropped and Erza was frightened by the change in atmosphere. He reached toward her face, but she flinched away on impulse.

Jellal pulled away, his face still grim, then leaned forward again. This time Erza forced herself not to move, and Jellal gently ran his thumb along her swollen eye. "Who did this to you?" He demanded.

"Its nothing—"

"Its wrong."

"I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be."

"I'm fine." Erza whipped around, suddenly remembering that Sho was relying on her punctuality if he wasn't to get an unwarranted beating. "It was nice seeing you."

"Wait, Erza—"

Erza ignored his attempts at protest. When she slipped into the kitchen, Brain wasn't even present himself which allowed her some relief. Sho and Milliana, however, ran up to her as soon as they spotted her.

"Erza!" Sho jumped into her arms for a hug.

"What's wrong?" She patted his head.

"He's just happy that you're here," Milliana replied, "and that Brain isn't."

Erza chuckled darkly. "Well, we might as well not stand around and give him another excuse to be cruel. Milliana, take out the refreshments. Sho, grab the lamb. I've got the salad. I assume Simon and Wally are tending to outdoor chores today?"

Sho nodded.

Erza pursed her lips. "Okay. Let us go."

When she stepped into the dining courtyard, Erza was pretty sure she was going to fall over. Up until this point she had been overly excited to see the general again, but their brief run-in in the hall left her feeling frazzled. Unfortunately, that didn't mean she could skip out on her chores, so in the courtyard she went.

Jellal was the first person her eyes fell on and she had to quickly avert them when he offered another smile. Instead she tried focusing on her mistress Ikaruga whose pink hair was the contrast of her spotless white gown. The lord of the house, Vidaldus was the opposite, wearing the blackest tunic he owned along with a sword strapped to his waist.

Erza set the salad on the table and then retreated to the outskirts of the room with the others to await further instructions.

"Ah, here comes the food," Ikaruga clapped her hands together in delight. She looked to Milliana who was standing silently off to the side. "You there, girl. Bring the young General here some wine."

Milliana obeyed silently. Despite the inviting smile Jellal directed towards her, Milliana continued to shake like a leaf while she poured the wine.

The dinner passed by mostly uneventful; Erza remained off to the side with the others in case any problems arose. She learned that the general was nineteen, only two years older than herself.

Ikaruga smiled and nodded at his stories, never missing a chance to touch his shoulder or run her fingers along his hand. Erza silently tremored in place and almost as if responding to her mood, the fire burning in the customary pillars seemed to burn hotter and more angry. The blade at the lord's side seemed to call out to her.

But every time Ikaruga advanced, Jellal shunned her efforts. Vidaldus looked exasperated by his wife's promiscuous behavior, but said nothing.

The sun was barely beginning to set when Jellal suddenly stood from the table, surprising everyone in the room. "Lady Ikaruga," he began, "the meal was superb."

Ikaruga blushed. Vidaldus scoffed into his wine. "Thank you," she purred.

"However, I'd like to discuss the matter of one of your slaves: Miss Scarlet."

Erza's pupils dilated in shock and the fire in the pillars went out completely. Her hand burned from the lack of a weapon. Something was about to happen. Judging by the reactions of her masters, she knew she was right.

"Who?" Ikaruga demanded vehemently. "We have no slaves by that name."

"Miss Erza Scarlet, of course," he said calmly.

Ikaruga seemed to calm down. Erza could feel her grave being dug right in that moment. "You mean _that_ wretched girl?" Ikaruga pointed at her. "I apologize for whatever intolerable act she's done, General."

"We'll make sure she gets punished," Vidaldus promised.

"You misunderstand." Jellal's expression morphed into the one that Erza had witnessed hours earlier in the hall. "Punishment is what I'm worried about. I assume it was one of you who inflicted the wound on her eye?"

"Your assumption is correct," Vidaldus said.

"What is the meaning of this, General?" Ikaruga cried.

"It pains me to see a maiden treated this way; regardless of whatever mishap she could have possibly done, this foul treatment is immoral and said, I would like to relieve her from your care."

Erza's jaw dropped and suddenly she was filled with a warmth that felt foreign to her. Sho and Milliana appeared on either side of her, hugging onto her arms in fear.

Vidaldus stood up so fast his chair fell back. His fist coming down on the table resonated off of the stone floors and pillars. "Are you saying you want to buy her from us?"

"Of course not. I do not view this woman as a piece of property and refuse to treat her as such." Jellal unsheathed his sword, a sleek blade with a gold handle that was a hundred times more grand than that of Vidaldus. "I intend to dual you. If I win, she goes free along with the rest of your slaves. I can tell this has been a cesspool of grief for an unbearable amount of time and I intend to liberate it."

"He's so cool," Sho murmured.

" _How dare you_ propose such a thing after I invite you into my home!" Ikaruga rose from her seat, quickly hiding behind her husband.

Jellal stood his ground. Vidaldus set his hand on his sword's hilt, but didn't draw it. "And if you lose?"

Jellal smirked, narrowing his eyes. "I will not lose."

Vidaldus returned the smug look. "I accept the dual."

"Vidaldus!" Ikaruga cried.

"Slience woman!" Vidaldus shoved her to the ground.

"That's not how you should treat your wife," Jellal growled.

"You picked this fight," Vidaldus snarled back, "don't blame me when you realize you bit off more than you can handle, boy general."

In a flash, Vidaldus's sword was drawn and the two were engaged in a brutal sword fight. Several times Jellal nearly was able to get the advantage but it was clear that Vidaldus exceeded him at sword play.

"What was he thinking?" Erza supposed she should have been trying to root for him, but she was more angry that he had acted so recklessly. Quickly, she spun Milliana and Sho around and pushed them toward the door. "Go! Find Simon and Wally and run! As far away as possible!"

Sho tried to resist but he wasn't strong enough against Erza's increasing strength. "But Erza-"

"Erzy?" Milliana mewed with tears.

Erza shoved them again. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to any of you! Now run! I'll find you!"

Both teenagers shared tearful nods before running together, hand in hand, toward the stables where Wally and Simon should've been. Erza turned toward the fray. Ikaruga was gone. Jellal had taken on a heavenly shimmer while Vidaldus had a bloody red aura.

It was then that what should have been obvious was made clear; they were both demigods.

Erza got that funky feeling in her gut again, like a sword belonged in her hand.

Jellal blasted what looked like a piece of the sky at Vidaldus who flung backwards but was able to right himself at the last second before impact. Vidaldus snickered, "Impressive. Son of a wind god?"

Jellal scoffed. "Lord of the Skies, Zeus himself."

Vidaldus' laugh sounded more like a roar. "Son of Ares, kid."

The two continued to fight viciously; Jellal would use some sort of heaven power and Vidaldus would counter it with some sort of twirl of his weapon. Even though they were nearly matched in power, Vidaldus was the better swordsman. One slip up and it would be game over.

As she watched Erza felt some sort of passion build up inside of her. At first she thought it was just from nerves, but when Vidaldus had bested Jellal and set his blade at his throat, something snapped and Erza knew the sword would bend to her will.

She ran forward, pouring on the speed. Unless she made it in time, Jellal was going to die. She thought of Jellal's sword lying on the ground just a few feet from him and suddenly it sprang into her hand.

Any other day, Erza would have marveled at how she could have possibly made a sword jump into her hand, but there was no time. Right before Vidaldus issued the killing blow, Erza jumped in front of him and kept her sword steady.

The sound of metal on metal revitalized her and her senses became more aware. This was what she was born to do.

Vidaldus offered a toothy smile that reeked of evil. "Ooo! The little slave girl has joined the party?" He laughed menacingly. "What makes you think you can take me, slave?"

She wasn't sure where the words came from, but she heard herself shouting, "Because I too, am a child of the war god Ares!"

She attacked with a new force, hacking and slashing. A tick on the face for Sho. A slash on the back for Simon. A pierce at the stomach for Wally. A jab at the knee for Milliana. And for Jellal, she knocked her previous master on his face. "We are no long your slaves," she declared.

Breathing heavily, Erza collapsed at Jellal's side. She hadn't felt fatigued at all while fighting, but it felt like the life bad been suddenly sucked out of her. "Are you...all right?" She asked.

"I am now." Jellal regarded her tenderly when all of a sudden his eyes went wide. "Erza—!"

"Wha?" Ezra turned in time to see her ex master flex his sword.

"DIE." Vidaldus lunged with his sword aimed for her heart, but it never reached it.

Simon's body flopped to the ground at the same time Vidaldus did. It took her a second to realize her friend had sacrificed himself as Jellal simultaneously threw a sword that embedded itself in Vidaldus' chest.

"SIMON!" Erza threw herself on his body and cupped his face in her hands. "Hey, hey, hey! Stay with me, Simon!" Tears dribbled down her face onto his chest.

"They're...safe," Simon said softly, blood trickling out of his mouth. She tried to ignore the sword gaping out of his chest. "Ran...north. Ezra?"

"I'm here, Simon," Erza whispered, gripping his hand. Snot mixed with tears continued to drip down her face. His body stiffened, making her panic. "Simon? Simon, wake up!" She shook him violently. "Simon, please wake up?"

A comforting hand rested on her shoulder, making her cease in the shaking. "Erza," Jellal said quietly. "He's gone."

The reality sunk in, and Erza buried her face in Jellal's cloak.

Simon never did wake up.

...

"I wish you would come with me."

Erza smiled, her hand finding its way to the hilt of her new sword. It was the first one she had as a free citizen of Greece. "I know one day our paths will overlap again in the future, but so much of my life has been stolen from me. I need to learn who I am, both as a person and as a warrior."

"And I do understand this, Erza." Stepping up in the stirrup, Jellal mounted his horse. "I recommend traveling to Crete—the king there will receive you well. There's good work and many demigods who will sharpen your skill. " He grinned. "A daughter of Ares will do just fine among Fairy Tail demigods."

"Fairy Tail?" Erza repeated skeptically.

"You'll see, should you ever make it that way. Farewell Erza." Jellal offered one last smile, and then his horse trotted forward.

She watched him grow small in the distance until he was no longer visible. He was the last piece of familiarity now that Milliana, Sho, and Wally were gone who knows where and Simon was dead. She didn't even have a house to return to now that she was no longer a slave.

Despite the loneliness, Erza wouldn't trade her freedom for anything. She had endured too much for it to be taken away now.

Turning from the horizon, Erza looked to the east where Jellal had told her Fairy Tail was. Perhaps, that would be where she would start her new life.

...

Sooo, this started out as a nalu one shot but I've decided to do two more installments: one for jerza and one for gruvia. The next chapter will be the last installment :) hope you guys liked this one ans stick around for the next!

12/18/16


	3. Gruvia

...

don't even bother with fact checking me; it's probably both geographically and historically inaccurate, but just roll with it. Magnolia and Lamia Scale are both kingdoms on the island of Crete in this, but Magnolia kinda doubles as the capitol.

...

Gray was already bored to death by the time Lucy tried on the second dress.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for her—after all, she was his best friend—but the chore of having to sit and wait and criticize her on every little detail regarding the wedding was beginning to be burdensome. Today alone he had already helped decide the desert plans as well as flower types.

Both times he and Natsu started duking it out right there in the open, nearly making the kitchen explode and the garden freeze over. Both times Erza slammed their faces together while Lucy shook her head with an annoyed frown.

Although Gray appreciated all the effort Lucy was putting into the preparations, he wasn't sure why she was so adamant about having such a storybook wedding. Odds were something was going to burn down with Natsu being the groom anyway.

Still, he waited patiently, running his thumb and forefinger along the cool steel of his sword tethered to his belt, swirls of ice decorating the blade. After what felt like an eternity, Lucy stepped out from behind a curtain in a floor length toga gown that fell off of the shoulder with a gold sash wrapped around her middle.

Honestly, he couldn't even tell it apart from the first one she tried on other than that this time she had a crown of golden laurels set up on her blonde hair. "Looks good. Can I leave now?"

The smile on her face molded into one of mock annoyance. "If you didn't want to help me, then you shouldn't have offered to."

"I _didn't_ offer to help you," Gray protested, leaning back in his seat. He groaned as he stretched his cramped back. " _You're_ the one who volunteered me. I could probably even clump it with kidnapping."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I didn't kidnap you."

Gray cracked a grin. "Sure you didn't. But seriously," he sat up in the chair, "can I go now? I'm really antsy and need to punch someone in the face. Or stab someone."

"Why do I have the suspicion that both of the someones you mentioned are referring to my fiance?" Lucy plucked the laurels from her hair and dropped them on one of the cushioned seats.

"Well, I was talking about him when I said I wanted to punch someone," he conceded. "But I was actually talking about Gajeel with the stabbing thing."

"I guess that's a little bit better," Lucy mumbled. "Let me change real quick and then I'll walk with you to the training yard. Natsu's down there and I need to talk to him anyway."

Gray held his arm toward the curtain in mock gentlemanly fashion. "As you wish, Highness. I swear not to peak."

"Oh my gods, you're insufferable sometimes." Lucy swatted at Gray's head on her way past him, but he easily ducked out of her reach. Snubbing her nose at him, she disappeared behind the silk curtains for the fourth time that day.

Fortunately for Gray, she was much quicker changing back into her speckled toga than the wedding dresses. Before he could even voice a complaint, she was already by his side. "Shall we go?" Lucy sauntered ahead of him.

"Don't make me freeze your feet to the floor, Lucy." Gray jogged a few steps to catch up, and then matched her stride. Even without looking at her he could tell that Lucy was smiling. Ever since the engagement she hadn't been seen without a smile.

Suddenly, Lucy jumped in place as they walked, her hands clutched close to her face in excitement. "Holy Zeus, I can't believe that I'm getting married in eight days!"

Gray smirked, patting her on the head teasingly. "Down, girl. I know you're excited."

Lucy sighed dreamily, her barefeet slapping against the stone floor echoing throughout the corridor. "There's just so much to do still! It's kinda scary!"

"You'll do fine," he assured. "Juvia has been helping you with a lot of it anyway."

Lucy nodded curtly. "So has Lisanna and Mira."

"I still don't get why you needed me on _flower_ and _dress_ duty when you could have asked them to do it." Gray pushed the door open and held it until Lucy passed through and then let it close behind them.

Lucy shrugged, turning her face away from him. "Even though they're really amazing friends, you're my best friend and I wanted to ask you."

Gray grinned, leaning over so that he was nearly level with her. "What was that?" She shoved him away but he edged closer again. "I must be dreaming but I _think_ I just heard a compliment?"

"You know what I said and I'm not repeating it."

Natsu was sparring with Gajeel when they entered they training yard. Lucy was still annoyed at him for teasing her, so Gray didn't follow her as she made her way toward Natsu. From the new angle, he could tell that she was walking differently and that her stomach seemed...different.

Shaking his head, Gray turned toward a dummy soldier designed for training. Whatever was going on between Lucy and Natsu was none of his business.

Stripping from his breastplate, Gray set to work hacking at the dummy with his own makeshift ice sword. He mostly preferred to use his ice weapons over that of man made ones for two reasons; one being that he might as well use the powers he was cursed with, and the second one being that the power he inherited from his mother, the goddess Khione, had to be more _reliable_ than that of a mortal man's.

Every so often, he'd glance up to see if she was watching. Juvia worked in the castle as Lucy's aid and advisor. Originally Gray had found her as a war prisoner to the Phantom Lord city-state and he developed a friendship with her; once Phantom Lord had been annihilated through strenuous years of war, Gray had brought her back to Magnolia to meet Lucy.

Straightening his posture, Gray scanned the balconies overlooking the courtyard as discreetly as he could. When he finally spotted the blue haired girl leaning over the balcony, watching him intently, he immediately huffed and speared the training dummy in a fluid motion as easy as breathing.

He didn't dare glance at her again.

If he did that, then people might think that he was interested in her, which Gray was certainly not! He didn't look for her during his training sessions because he was trying to impress Juvia, but rather...he was just monitoring her whereabouts.

Panting softly, Gray dropped his sword to the ground. Immediately the weapon shattered into hundreds of small shards which melted away the second they fell into the grass.

"You were having quite the work-out," Lucy commented as Gray rejoined her, Natsu, and Gajeel near a rack of swords and armour. She held out a flask of water that matched the ones in the other two mens' hands. Gray took his from her.

Natsu scoffed, slinging his sword up on his shoulder effortlessly. "I could have taken him. What's so impressive about attacking a fake opponent?"

Gray growled at him, but before he could spit back an insult, Gajeel grinned, "Ah, stop harping him. He doesn't even need training much anymore. He only comes down here to put on a show for Juvia."

Gray nearly choked on his water. "Excuse me?" he demanded, eyes wide.

Natsu scrunched his eyes and made a stupid face which made Gray want to deck him. "Wait, wait, wait a second Ice Breath—you have a thing for Juvia?" He grinned condescendingly, showing off his fang-like teeth. "Since when?"

"Since never," Gray hissed, clenching his fist tightly. "She's just a friend, alright?"

"You guy would make a pretty cute couple, you know." Lucy's eyes suddenly got a shimmer in them that Gray didn't like; it was the same one she got when she would make him play dolls with her as children. "Oh my gods, what if we had a double wedding!"

"No way!" Natsu exclaimed at the same time Gray scoffed, "Not going to happen."

"No offense, Luce," Natsu wrapped a protective arm around her waist, "but I would probably set Gray on fire if we had to stand that close to each other during the ceremony."

"And I'd freeze Natsu's head."

Lucy pouted slightly. Gajeel snickered to himself, slapping Gray on the back roughly. "You guys sure make quality entertainment. At least I know I can always get some good wine and a good laugh whenever I visit this place."

"And your ugly mug always gives me something to laugh at when you're around so I guess we're even." Natsu grinned.

"Mind getting your arm off of me?" Gray grumbled when Gajeel put more weight on him. A sudden drop of Gray's body temperature and Gajeel jumped away in surprise.

"Hey, Gray?" Natsu looked more serious than he had a minute earlier which was a little unsettling. "What's your brother doing here?"

"What?" Gray turned, following Natsu's line of sight until his eyes fell on Lyon. His older brother had a grim expression and his best sword was strapped to his side. Something was wrong. "What's he doing here," he murmured.

"You mean you weren't expecting him?" Lucy straightened her posture and Gray didn't miss how her hands instinctively hugged her stomach.

"I hope there's some sort of invasion." The tips of Natsu's hair began to smolder slightly. "I need some action."

"Cool it, Salamander," Gajeel warned. "Don't go burning the place down."

Together, the four of them watched warily as Lyon approached. Every step closer his brother got the more uneasy Gray became. The only reason his brother, a top ranking official in their father's army, would be used as some sort of messenger would be if the news were urgent. Was someone attacking Lamia Scale?

It had been close to four years since the last time there was a threat large enough for Gray's assistance to be called in. He was eighteen then, back when Phantom Lord was threatening a series of kingdoms.

"Lyon," Gray greeted once his brother had made it within earshot.

"Greetings, brother." Lyon offered Gray a tight smile. "It's been a while."

"Yeah."

Lyon offered Lucy and Natsu a respectful bow, though he looked annoyed by it. Natsu tightened his hold on Lucy's waist. "Congratulations on the engagement, Princess. You'll make a lovely bride."

Lucy curtsied, smiling as brightly as she could despite the evident heaviness of the atmosphere. "Thank you, Lord Lyon."

Gray regarded his brother's face but he was having a hard time reading him; Gray was usually really skilled in determining motive through facial expressions, but Lyon was always a wild card. "Are you going to tell us why you're here or not?"

Instead of becoming upset or indignant the way Gray expected him to be, Lyon's features morphed into one of pain. "Gray," Lyon's voice cracked for the first time in his life and Gray felt his own pulse quicken. "Father became ill and Apollo was unable to save him."

This had to be a joke right? A terrible, awful joke but a joke nonetheless...right? Then why was his heart beating so fast? "You mean he's really…." Gray couldn't finish the sentence, but Lyon's cold eyes warned him that he was telling the truth.

Lyon nodded gravely. "Our father is dead."

…

It took a week to travel back home for the funeral.

The entire journey had been full of grief and sorrow. Gray, who had never been a drinker, had spent much of his time with Lyon and a bottle of wine. He had never felt especially close to his brother, but now that his father was gone he found his company more tolerable.

When Gray hadn't been drowning his pain in alcohol, he'd been mostly keeping to himself. He'd ride toward the back of the group, retire to his tent early at night, and answer questions with only a nod or shake of his head. The only person he had spoken to since they set out toward the kingdom of Lamia Scale was Lyon.

It was blatantly obvious that Lucy was worried for him the entire trip; she'd bring meals to him when he forgot to eat or give him a blanket when he would sit by himself in the dark away from the fire. Even Natsu had been more considerate, keeping his insults to himself and offering to talk if Gray wanted to. Gray felt bad to burden them, but he couldn't bring himself to be happy.

But now as he watched his father's body burn atop the funeral pyre, all Gray could think about was Lucy's black toga and Natsu's sullen expression.

Today was the day that they were supposed to be married; how ironic was it that the day that was supposed to be the happiest of their lives ended up being canceled for a day of sadness and mourning?

Off to his side, Gray could hear the cries of his sister Ultear as she knelt in the dirt while Lyon stood stiff as a board, but even he couldn't hide the tears that slid down the curves of his cheeks. It had been years since the three of them had been together and it pained him that it took the death of his father to finally unite them.

"Gray, dear," a small voice beside him said.

Gray turned slowly, unsurprised by Juvia standing beside him. Her blue tunic was traded for a black toga and she smelled like the fragrance of lamentation. She had made the seven day trip along with Lucy and her father, Jude, to pay respects to King Silver. Deep down, he knew that she was mostly there for him and that eased his heart.

"I'm sorry that this happened," Juvia whispered. Out of the corner of his eyes, Gray could see the reflection of the burning pyre in her big blue eyes. "Hades will judge him fairly; you'll meet him in Elysium one day."

When words wouldn't form, Gray whimpered softly. "Thank you," he said, slipping his hand into hers. Juvia gave his hand a squeeze.

He didn't know what his feelings for her were, but he was thankful to have her by his side.

…

Gray didn't bother to leave his room in the days following Ultear's coronation.

Mostly he was still depressed and the thought of seeing other people made him uneasy, but there was something about being in his childhood bedroom that relaxed him a small bit. He hadn't lived in his father's castle since he was nine and to see that nothing in his room had changed in the last thirteen years made him feel safe.

Perched at his window, Gray touched the stone column with the back of his hand. Swirls of ice decorated the cracks in the rock. He had such a beautiful, amazing power and yet he couldn't do anything to save his father. He hadn't even known his father had grown ill to begin with.

What kind of son did that make him?

A sudden knock on the door made him jump. The ice on the stone evaporated due to his loss of concentration. "I don't wish to see visitors, Lucy," he said harsher than he meant to.

When no one answered, Gray figured that Lucy had taken the hint but then a small voice called through the door, "Gray? It's Juvia."

"Juvia?" Gray repeated slowly. His mouth moved before his brain could think. "Come in."

The door eased open slowly and Juvia stepped in with a bowl of meat and vegetables. "I thought you would be hungry since you've missed the last few meals," she said, setting the bowl on a table near his bed.

Juvia turned to leave, but Gray grabbed her by the wrist. He wasn't sure what made him want her to stay, but something about her being near him made all of the craziness going on in his life a little more bearable. "Please don't go," he said, relieved when his voice didn't crack with emotion.

Juvia smiled softly, taking a seat beside him. Gray pretended not to notice how excited her eyes were when she looked at his hand which had yet to let go of her wrist. He didn't. "I'm not going to go anywhere, Gray dear."

Gray snorted, for once relieved at her words. "I'm just… I can't believe the king is gone, ya know? He had a lot going for him."

Juvia nodded slowly. "Your father...were you close?"

"Not really," he replied bitterly. "I'm the youngest and clearly not the favorite.I'm not even Ultear and Lyon's full brother. I was the result of a weakness Silver had when he met Khione—he got a little upset with Ur one day and there Khione was in her icy glory to _take away the pain_." He smiled wryly at the floor. "And I was just a constant reminder of his mistake. It hurt him even more after my mother died."

"Your mother? You mean Ur?" Her brows scrunched, making her crystal eyes crinkle.

"Yeah," Gray whispered, finally releasing Juvia's wrist. She placed both hands in her lap and began massaging her palm nervously. "She may not have been my real mother, but she might as well have been. She never felt resentment towards me and she always included me with her own children. If Lyon and I were acting out, she'd scold us. She'd read to us at night. It was really hard when she died."

"How old were you?"

"Holy Hades, how long has it been?" Gray murmured to himself for a minute while he tried to recall certain events as reference points. "Nine. Because right after she died, I went to live with Lucy and her father. I never lived in my father's palace again."

He looked at the finger paintings on the wall on the far side of the room; they were faded now after over a decade of abandonment, but Gray still recognized each of his and his siblings' handprints on the wall. "This is my old room, you know."

"This was your room?" Juvia glanced around, taking in the childlike furnishings for the first time. "I should have known," she smiled.

Gray shrugged, but didn't elaborate further. Together they sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the wavering light of the torch mounted to the wall. Eventually, Gray muttered,"This whole Ultear being queen had me thinking a lot."

"Do you not think she's cut out for it or something?" Juvia asked. For the first time in several days, Gray laughed—genuine, head thrown back and spleen splitting laughter. Juvia widened her eyes at him. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No!" he assured her quickly. "No." He took a minute to reclaim his breath. "It's just funny to me for Ultear to be queen. Most of my childhood consisted of her doing everything in her power to make mine and Lyon's life Hades."

Juvia grinned shyly. Gray quickly lowered the temperature of his hands to stop them from sweating, but even with his powers they still felt warm. "She couldn't have been that bad," she insisted.

Gray scoffed, fixing the blue haired girl with a teasing stare. "Imagine Erza when someone touches her strawberry bread."

Juvia gasped through her smile. "No way! Your sister is scarier than Erza?"

Gray bobbed his head side-to-side as if to say _kinda._ "Not scarier, per se. But definitely in the same discus field."

"Remind me not to get on her bad side."

"I'm sure you won't." He paused for a moment. "Have you noticed the small pink haired child exploring the castle since arriving here by any chance?"

Juvia nodded eagerly and Gray could tell she was withholding a squeal. "That child is beautiful! I've only seen her twice though, both times accompanied by the queen."

"Yeah, well, that's Ultear's daughter. About five I think. Her name's Meredy."

"So that's her name!" Juvia nodded to herself as if she were satisfied with this discovery. "Speaking of children," she started, and Gray was afraid that she was going to be creepy like when he first met her, but instead she said, "Lucy and Natsu's child will be due in a few months."

Gray nodded slowly, his earlier observations being confirmed. "I was wondering if that was why Lucy looked fat all of a sudden."

Juvia gave him a look that he had a hard time not laughing at. "She's not fat, Gray dear. It's normal and pregnancy is a beautiful miracle."

"Guess it's a good thing I didn't tell her about her fat ankles then, huh?" Juvia hit him on the arm. "Ow!" he complained, even though they were both aware that he wasn't injured.

"I heard that the queen and King Jude had a conference to discuss further peace between Lamia Scale and Magnolia today," Juvia commented, wringing her fingers. "King Jude will be leaving with Lucy and Natsu tomorrow as well."

"Will you be going with them?" he asked, keeping his eyes downcast.

He felt her shrug beside him. "Probably, though I did hear some talk of me staying behind for a time." Juvia shot him a playful smile. "Lucy said that someone had to keep an eye on you while she was away and she didn't trust Lyon to do it."

"Well, she's not wrong."

Gray shifted his eyes to Juvia who was still giggling. He still felt conflicted about his feelings for her; he saved her from an abusive land, then she became clingy, then he distanced himself, then they spent more time together, then she'd watch him practice in the courtyard and bring him food, and he'd keep his brother and other creeps away.

Their relationship was the most confusing thing he'd ever had to sort out in his heart, especially since everything else had been pretty clear-cut; Lucy was his best friend from childhood and even though he never liked her in a romantic way, he would sacrifice his life to save her. Natsu was his rival from day one and always would be, but even though Gray probably wouldn't give his life for him, there was a lot that Gray was willing to risk for him. Erza had always felt like a sister so that eliminated any chance of mixed feelings.

But Juvia made him feel weird. Sometimes he wanted to kiss her, sometimes he wanted her to shut up, and sometimes he wanted to kiss her _to shut her up._

"Gray dear?" Juvia asked. Gray stupidly realized that he was staring at her like an idiot. "When...when were you going to return to Magnolia? Or…," she hesitated, "are you planning on remaining in Lamia Scale?"

"Of course I'll be back to Magnolia before long," he grinned coolly. "I can't miss Lucy's wedding, no matter how much of an idiot the groom is. And their baby is going to need their uncle Gray around."

Juvia smiled. "May Hera let it be so."

Gray kissed her before she could say another word.

…

Gray wished he was still sleeping when he arrived in his sister's throne room.

Jude, Lucy, and Natsu were already gone by the time he got up, but he was more upset about having to leave the blue haired girl sleeping in his room. Nothing had happened between them; they merely slept next to each other, but Gray was still reluctant to leave the warmth of sleeping beside her.

"Finally, Gray is here." Ultear waved him in from the head of a long table. Lyon sat adjacent to her; His sister looked the same as Gray remembered her from childhood with her long dark hair in crimps, challenging eyes, and a grey off the shoulder dress. The only difference now was the the crown that was perched up on her head. "Now we may begin."

"About time," Lyon grumbled into his hand.

Gray frowned, taking a seat across from Lyon. "What's this all about?" he asked, looking to Ultear. Lyon shifted so that his face was propped up on his palm, but he was still watching their sister expectantly.

Ultear folded her hands on the table. Something about her body language made Gray uneasy. "As you may know, Lamia Scale and Magnolia have had their...differences in the past."

Lyon chuckled darkly. "That's an understatement."

Gray rolled his eyes. "No offense, Ultear, but if you dragged me out of bed this morning for a history lesson about things I already know, I'm going to be pissed."

"Good nights rest then, huh?" Lyon deadpanned.

Gray ignored him. "If this is all we're going to be doing," he rose from his seat, "then I'm leaving."

"Sit down," Ultear barked. Gray's frown deepened but he sat back down, pointedly ignoring Lyon's small smirk. Ultear's stone smile returned. "Like I was saying, Lamia Scale and Magnolia have had some problems in the past regarding citizen disputes, specifically the clashes of patron gods."

"Magnolia's Athena and Lamia Scale's Poseidon," Lyon said.

"Right." Ultear nodded. "As you may have known, father and King Jude were able to establish peace between the two cities." She looked to Gray thoughtfully, but he just shrugged. "Well," her voice was slightly awkward now. "Father was able to establish peace by sending Gray to live in Magnolia with Jude and his family…"

It took a moment for it to register in Gray's mind that the reason he was sent away as a child was as a condition of peace. "You mean the reason I grew up in a different man's castle is because our people and Lucy's people couldn't get along?"

His voice sounded angry but it wasn't because he was forced to leave his family at a young age. He was in his twenties now; it didn't matter what happened over a decade ago, especially since he got to grow up with Lucy and learn to harness his powers with Makarov. As far as he was concerned, Lucy, Erza, Natsu, and the others were his family now.

But he _was_ angry that he had never been told the reason why he was sent away, only to find out following his father's death. Gray loved his father, but his cowardice was shameful.

"Calm down, Gray," Ultear soothed, resting a hand on Gray's wrist. He tensed, but he didn't move it away.

"This is exactly the reason we went so long without telling you," Lyon mumbled. "We knew it would upset you and we prefered to spare you of that."

Gray clenched his fist around the table cloth and then released it. There was no point in getting angry over it now. All he had to do was sit through this meeting, and then he and Juvia were going to catch up with Lucy and the others. He should have known better than to stay with his family for an extra few weeks. "Why are you telling this to me now?" he asked sharply.

Lyon and Ultear shared a glance that Gray didn't like. "Now that the king is dead, forces are brewing between the kingdoms," Lyon said after some time.

"Wonderful." Gray kept his expression as uninterested as possible. "Now what does that have to do with me?"

"Jude's afraid that the rivalry between kingdoms will be too hard to quench if they stew too long without being restrained." Ultear rose from her chair. "Clearly," she stroked a strand of her hair as she began pacing behind her seat, "there needs to be a new truce made to unite the people again, no matter how loosely."

"So what you're saying is that my sacrifice of being ripped away from my family without any knowledge of why has run dry now, hmm?"

"Don't be like that, Gray," Lyon growled, curling his fingers against the table top like claws. "You served your kingdom and father a great service."

"Well, why didn't he send you then, huh?" Gray snarled back. "Because I was the constant reminder that I was his mistake? That I wasn't Ur's son?"

Lyon stood up so fast his chair fell backward. "Father loved you! And you need to know that! And Ur loved you too, so stop sulking!"

"Stop sulking?" Gray jumped to his feet as well. His whole body burned from confining his powers from turning the castle into a blast of eternal winter. "I'm not _sulking_. I'm just trying to fit the damn puzzle pieces together!"

"Father sent you away," Lyon looked him in the eyes, sending a chill down his spine, "because he knew you had no future here!"

"That's enough!" Ultear screamed.

Gray stopped short. For a minute, the urge to plunge the entire room into sub-zero temperatures became even more tempting, but then the confusion kicked in and the anger in the pit of his stomach was replaced with anxiousness. "What the Hades is that supposed to mean?"

Gray hadn't realized Lyon had been gripping the hilt of his sword until he released it with a huff. "You were the only one," Lyon whispered, "the only one in the castle who was born of a god. Father tried to find others, but Lamia Scale was mostly void of them."

Ultear's expression softened. "He found Lucy, though," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder but Gray ripped himself away from her. "And she was in Magnolia. He had to send a child away one way or the other and she was the only person that you allowed yourself to latch onto. He had to make a difficult choice, Gray."

When Gray didn't say anything, Lyon marched up to him and seized him by the collar roughly. For once, Gray didn't feel like punching his brother in the face. "How can you just stand here like this without saying a word?" Lyon shook him. "Ur died and then you were sent away! You think you had it rough but did you ever think about the rest of us? Of me and Ultear?" Gray pointed a finger at their sister who was standing to the side.

Her hands were at her sides, she wore a neutral expression, but her eyes…Gray had only seen Ultear's eyes like that twice before: when her mother died and when they were watching their father's body burn on the pyre.

"We lost our little brother!" Lyon released Gray's collar and began to tremble. "Me and Ultear watched you leave full of sadness and confusion. And when you returned to us, you were bitter and full of hatred toward us."

Gray's eyes widened as his brother began to sob in front of him. Lyon, his bright, war hero brother was reduced to tears because of him? Today really was a day for surprises. And then Gray did another surprising thing; he hugged his brother.

"I'm...sorry." Gray looked away. It made him uncomfortable to see his brother like this. "I'm sorry if I made things hard on you."

Lyon looked up through his tear stained cheeks. "That's why you need to be the one to marry her. And not me."

Gray blinked, suddenly ready to shove him away. "Come again?"

Ultear cleared her throat. "Do I really need to say it right now? You guys just bonded and-"

"Out with it, your majesty," Gray snapped.

"The new truce," Ultear said, "Jude and I agreed a marriage would be in order."

Gray held up both hands, giving her a hard look. "I'm not marrying Lucy, okay? She's my best friend and she's engaged already...to an idiot, but engaged nonetheless."

Ultear shook her head. "Of course it wouldn't be Lucy. We're talking about Juvia."

"Juvia?" Gray's jaw almost dropped.

"She's high profile in Jude's palace," Lyon asserted. Other than the flush of his cheeks, he had returned to his serious stature. "Her marriage to either of us would be respected by both Magnolia and Lamia Scale."

Gray felt his face heat up when he remembered that said girl was probably still up in his bedroom sleeping. It was kind of ironic how in the midst of his confusing feelings he was now being asked to marry her. "Why are you passing this opportunity up?" he asked curiously. "I thought you liked Juvia. Wouldn't this be the perfect thing for you?"

Lyon rolled his eyes as if the answer were obvious. "Of course it would be the best opportunity if I were a heartless bastard," he said. Gray resisted the urge to comment. "But it's because I _do_ love her that I'm not going to take advantage of the situation. She loves you, Gray," he set a hand on Gray's shoulder, "and I know you love her too."

"I do not love Juvia," Gray retorted flatly. "She's…"

He wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't think it was love, but then what was his deal? He kissed her last night and she was currently sleeping in his childhood bedroom. Whatever feelings he had for her extended far beyond friendship or lust but he was afraid to put such a strong term on it such as _love._

But when he stopped and thought about it, Gray would much rather marry Juvia himself over Lyon. And admitting it to himself, Gray had to admit that Juvia being his wife didn't sound...terrible.

Gray shuddered. Maybe Lucy would get her double wedding after all.

…

"I still can't believe I haven't set you on fire yet."

Gray ignored Natsu, instead focusing on his wife who was laughing as she danced with Lucy and Erza. All three of them wore cream colored dresses and golden laurels in their hair. "Who would have thought that your wedding would have become a triple wedding, eh?"

Natsu chuckled, swirling the sediments of his wine at the bottom of his glass. "Well, I guess I can deal with sharing a wedding with you guys. I mean, have you seen any of them look this happy before?"

Gray smiled again as Erza twirled Juvia with one hand while she twirled Lucy with the other; he noted that Lucy's stomach was showing a defined bump now. "This a special kind of happy," Jellal grinned.

"Speaking of," Gray turned to Natsu, "when's your rugrat supposed to be born, again?"

"Since we're all having a _lovely_ time, I'm going to pretend you didn't just call my kid a rugrat." Natsu downed the rest of his wine. "It's due in April. We're in need for an offering to Artemis and Hera any day now, though."

"Not that this conversation isn't entertaining," Jellal nodded toward where Erza was waving for him to join her, "but duty calls. Thank you for attending my wedding." He winked.

"Thanks for coming to mine, man!" Natsu laughed after him.

Gray set his cup on the nearest table. "I'm going in."

Natsu gave a low whistle. "You think you're ready?"

"Guess I have to be." Gray walked through the crowd toward Juvia in what felt like slow motion; he didn't hear or see the people around him, but instead his vision was clouded by the beautiful girl with hair as blue as the Mediterranean Sea. "Mind if I cut in?" he teased, swinging an arm around Juvia's waist and twisting her so that she was facing him, a radiant smile on her face.

Lucy huffed. "Gray! We were in the mid—" She was cut off when Natsu jumped in front of her.

"Hey, Luce!" He greeted enthusiastically. "Wanna dance with me?"

Lucy laughed, throwing her arms around his neck as she kissed him.

Gray ignored his two friends, something he seemed to be doing a lot, as he placed a kiss on Juvia's forehead. "How have you been?"

Juvia smiled, resting her cheek against his chest. "Your sister came by to talk to me earlier. And not too long ago Lyon congratulated me through mild tears."

"Yep. That sounds like him," he scoffed.

"Ya know, it's kind of funny." Juvia beamed up at him. Gray raised an eyebrow. "We're getting married exactly two months after the day Lucy and Natsu were supposed to get married."

Gray groaned exasperatedly, making her laugh more. "It's always _Lucy and Natsu this_ and _Lucy and Natsu that._ "

"Maybe you should shut me up, then," she teased, blinking up at him.

Gray kissed her, burying his hands into her hair and laurels. It was kind of weird that only a few months ago he had been confused about his relationship with Juvia when it had been clear cut all along;

He loved her.

...

the end. this time it's actually finished guys...unless a new idea comes to mind i guess

1/22/17


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